1. Community
  2. Ears, nose, throat and mouth
  3. Vertigo and Dizziness

Neck pain, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, tinnitus

Posted , 3 users are following.

Guest
Guest

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum but not to others. I have neck and spine osteoarthritis but early stages, diagnosed a few months ago. For several weeks I've been getting dizziness or more like a muzzy head feeling. I get tinnitus, headaches and some times overwhelming tiredness. I put it down to my OA but all of these symptoms seem to be worse since I started doing neck exercises for my OA, as advised by physio. I haven't long seen a rheumatologist and now I am being referred to ENT. I've always had migraines but these have eased since taking diuretics. I'm wondering now if I have VN and whether neck stretching exercises have brought it to light. I took a Cinnarizine tablet earlier which was prescribed for my husband several months ago and I had some relief from it. Also, I cannot lie down on my right side because I get a dizzy, motion or moving feeling. I have to sleep semi upright. Can anyone please advise. So sorry for the lengthy post.

Thankyou

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest Guest

    Posted

    I also have cervical spondylosis which affects my neck and also episodes of B ppv. They both seemed to start around the same time. And into the ENT for the dizziness and he was able to help me. It still comes back.ically but I know how to deal with-it now.
  • lily65668
    lily65668 Guest

    Posted

    Hi Lina,

    I can't comment on all your symptoms, but can confirm that neck stiffness and severe headaches can go together - particularly pain in the back of the head on bending the neck.

    I had a two-month attack of straightforward BPPV at the start of this year - nothing to do with VN or anything like that, just displaced inner ear crystals, and not due to OA. I already knew I had OA in my neck, and have been accustomed to doing daily flexibility exercises for this for years now. However, I didn't dare bend my neck in any direction during the two months of BPPV, for fear of triggering an attack of spinning and falling, so had to stop the exercises for the duration.

    My GP eventually referred me to an excellent vestibular physio, who cured my vertigo with the Epley manoeuvre in a single session more than three months ago. However, my neck had seized up so much by this time that he had to force it slightly into some of the Epley positions, which was quite painful. Although my vertigo was instantly cured (thank goodness!) I suffered severe occipital headaches for almost a month afterwards, as a result of the pulled neck muscles and ligaments I think. For the first two weeks I was having to take 1200mg of ibuprofen every day.

    I've now completely recovered and have been able to resume my daily neck exercises, so no harm done. The headache has gone and I'd say my neck stiffness is back to "normal" for me. However, I have noticed that I've had mild tinnitus ever since the Epley manoeuvre. I don't think it's ear-related, as the vertigo cleared up instantly after the manoeuvre, but I too suspect it's neck-related. It doesn't particularly bother me, I only notice it when I'm in a quiet environment, and it doesn't keep me awake at night. I therefore haven't done anything about it, on the assumption it will eventually go away.

    To summarise my long post I'd say, yes there could well be a connection with the neck-stretching exercises, though I'm not sure whether that would actually cause VN.

    • Guest
      Guest lily65668

      Posted

      Thank you both for replying. Perhaps I am over thinking things and should just focus on my OA and improving diet, exercise etc. I have stopped the neck exercises for now until hopefully this passes. So sorry you both have OA too.

      Kind regards

    • lily65668
      lily65668 Guest

      Posted

      Well, OA kind of goes with the territory when you get old!rolleyes

      Good idea to stop the neck exercises for the time being, just to see if that's what's causing it. If it improves, I'd suggest starting again very gently after a couple of weeks. Don't let your neck seize up, like I did.

      The muzzy feeling could be down to neck problems as well, as the circulation to the base of the brain passes through the neck. Not sure about the overwhelming tiredness though. That sounds more like viral. Still, the ENT should sort you out if it is VN.

      Hope you're soon feeling better.

  • bon42893
    bon42893 Guest

    Posted

    I’m 61.  Tinnitus started last summer, neck paid started in November, BPPV Episode about six weeks ago, was treated with eplys  and recovered.  Now I have mild dizziness, constant  tinnitus, manageable neck pain, and occasionally  wake up with a headache in the back of my head.   I found this thread searching on my symptoms, and have been worrying about something bigger going on, like a brain tumor or other horrible illness . Thanks to your posts, I feel a little calmer now .  Always been perfectly healthy before this. 
    • lily65668
      lily65668 bon42893

      Posted

      Hi there,

      I went through something similar a year ago. I had a nasty bout of BPPV that lasted two months before I fell on my feet with an excellent vestibular physiotherapist. He cured the BPPV in minutes with the Epley manoeuvre, but I had that horrible pain in the back of my head for weeks afterwards.

      Fortunately, as a former neuro nurse, I understood what was going on. I inevitably had a degree of osteoathritis in my neck already - I'm more than 10 years older than you - and during the two months of BPPV I hardly dared moved my head at all. I'm sure you'll understand that one! The result was that my neck stiffened up totally, and when the physio put my head through the Epley movements he couldn't help pulling a few muscles. The muscles of the scalp and neck are basically a single sheet, so pulling your neck muscles will always result in pain in the back of your head. The pain was always worse when I bent my head backwards, as that pulls on the scalp muscles.

      Don't worry about this. You haven't got a brain lesion. Just give it time. Try and do some very gentle neck movements but whatever you do, don't force it. It will all sort itself out in time.

    • bon42893
      bon42893 lily65668

      Posted

       Thank you for your kind response. My neck pains a little different because I have a pretty good range of movement on my neck muscles.  A couple of vertebrae in my neck are not lined up exactly right and that may possibly be the reason my neck hurts.   Lots of popping noises when I move my head around  coming from inside. Chiropractor said to avoid bending my head back as much as possible though.  GP   Did massage a few times and injected muscles with   Vitamin  B I believe… He said much better than steroids.   The confluence of all the symptoms together in this one part of my body has been worrisome.   Planning to retire in another year… Not a moment too soon I think! 
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.